diplomats. but putin said no, not to retaliate for now. after obama shut down russian come pounds in new york and maryland where we have already spotted moving trucks. >> i don't think it's a new cold war. this is more like cold war 2.0. it has been going on for several years. i appears putin is ready to hit reset button with president trump accusing president obama of trying to undermine the new administration. trump still denying russia tried to meddle in the election. >> i find it fascinating that trump says time to move on with an active cyber war with russia but he can't move on from a bad restaurant review or not winning emmy for "apprentice." kenneth: before he takes off, john mccain ann week the intelligence officials will testify on capitol hill. reporting in northwest, kenneth moton, abc7 news. q: we are learning more about the massive russian compound on the eastern shore that emptying. it's just across the by a in centreville. jonathan elias is live in sat lie center with what the abc7 on your side i-team is digging up on the property. what is going on? jonathan: we keep showing you the videotape of the beautiful estate. we are learning more how russia came to own the massive property in maryland and how it has been used. the white house says it has been used for intelligence activities. i.e., hacking. russia says it's not the case it's always been used as a retreat where diplomats would go to play tennis, sail, swim, play soccer. the family would come out there. it was a camp for the kids in russia to come out. vacation spot. but the soviets purchased it in 1972 in cold war. they stayed through the fall of the union until now. it is valued by the state of maryland at $9 million. what is unclear is what will happen with the property. this is part of the order and it should be interested to see what the president he lecht does when he takes over the presidency on january 20. how many diplomats does russia have altogether? that's a number we are looking into. back to you. michelle: russia owns a lavish property and mansion in glen clove on northern long island in new york. that is also being emptied. stay with us for updates. some of us saw sunshine most of the day. others were caught in a snow squall. this almost looks like a perfect snow globe. it's all cleared out and melted now. we talk about the snowshowers today. they are still continuing at this time. this is all moving toward the east. in the arlington and the alexandria area. seeing flurries at this time. nothing will stick to the ground. leesburg getting out of a snowshower now and heading to the frederick area. you're dry. this should come to an end later tonight. 30's to 40's across the area. the wind gusts are beginning to ease a little bit. we have the gusty winds to the west in leesburg, frederick and winchester. q: do not get caught by surprise when the wintry weather arrives. download the stormwatch7 weather app to get the instant updates you need on the go. it is available on google play and at the app store. according to one virginia lawmaker pornography is a public health hazard. do you agree? head to our website wjla.com/votenow and you about the delegate marshall who wants the state to formally declare porn a hazard. jeff goldberg the at the "live desk" with the efforts on what this all means. jeff: the lawmaker wants to make it clear he is not trying to ban pornography with the bill. instead he wants to ask members of the general assembly to join with him to declare pornography a public health crisis. marshall says pornography is creating a public health crisis in the commonwealth of virginia. he has filed a bill and claims it has a toxic environment, disease, contributing to divorce and the breakup of families and it objectifies women. marshall says because people can access it online and on leading to the "hyper sexualization of teenagers." >> when you can read the daily papers of the teenagers now getting in trouble with the so-called sexting, it's ubiquitous and has to be addressed. it's of no benefit to anybody. jeff: he says if the members of the general assembly agree with him on the vote, further action could follow. no specifics yet. as you mult imagine there are people who disagree with the position and the action he is planning to take next month. at 5:30 we will bring you the opposing view point from an interesting location. >> looking forward to it. this is update on shooting. deputy warren hogan who was hit in a shootout is in a serious condition. he escorted a woman in a house to get her belongings frm homeowner when james rich shot him in the stomach with the shotgun and rich was killed. michelle: update on the mother hit by a car tuesday afternoon outside her home in aspen hill. family members tell us ortiz will be in i.c.u. for another week. ortiz lost her left leg in the crash. she shattered bones in her leg. >> she was loading the baby. she thinks she pushed the baby out of way or something. >> one has been charged in the case. for little sofia she is home with relatives. at the t.s.a. going through the checkpoint. >> the operation to keep the flights safe is larger than that. >> this the airport operation call for friday december 30. this is the airport operation center where they can see in real time what is happening at the airport security check points across the country. they can see the number going in security. the weight time and then adjust the staff or the resources if any issues arise. it's designed to keep extremely long lines at a minimum and keeping the safety the priority. this is a game changer for security nationwide. >> we ha point. we were able to predict at a high level the passengers that will come through the check point. this will give us a real time communication. this is a real-time look at the wait time. wallace when the line gets long. h do they resolve the hot spot? we have more coming up at 5:00. q: coming up, using a forklift. michelle: who would rob a lemonade stand run by children? really? they fight back and they vow to stay in business next. plus -- ♪ i'll think of you ♪ every step of the way >> the serenade that has gone viral. this girl's mother shares why the song means so much to her. lindsey: i'm lindsey mastis in old town alexandria. we will show you what to expect q: take a look at the well-planned robbery. it went down in texas. first you see a stolen u-haul drive up. then a stole enforklift emerges from the woods and knocks over the a federal credit union there. picks it up and loads it on the stolen u-haul truck. the theft took minutes. the his are still looking for suspects. michelle: a robbery in florida didn't require heavy machinery. just picking on small kids. two 9-year-olds were working a lemonade stand. the teens demand the children get them bigger cups. when they become pushy, 9-year-old lucas splashed them with water. that is when the teens pushed him, stole his money and took his ipod. >> i spilled water on him, because they kept making us, making us go get it. >> it's innocent. sitting there with a box. magic marker. told him the best way to deal with that is face your fear. >> lucas and his friends took his mom's advice and started to sell the lemonade again. found them and arrested then. q: good job. michelle: the small cups are going for 25 cents. how much more? give them another quarter why don't you. q: bullies. abc7 is on traffic watch right now. er rick smith has a look at the friday get-away. how does it look erik smith? erik: it's a very tough ride again today. taking a look at the wide picture around the capitol beltway. you will see plenty of red spots here in the beltway. near the 270 spur and landover. a tough stretch. they are struggling both ways to the capital street. both ways near the american legion bridge. george washington parkway. it's tough for both directions. the outer loop is tough. that is a tough stretch as off for urbana. 395 northbound across the 14th street bridge, not too bad. i could be worse. 95 in virginia is a mess everywhere you look. that is all from the traffic center. back to you. q: we are counting downment one day left in 2016. michelle: the party starts tomorrow. first night alexandria is one of the biggest events around here. >> there are more than a hundred performances. a lot of families here at the torpedo familiar torrey. this is so fun from family. you can win prizes like cash, up to $500. for if younger ones there is a noon year eve event. they can count down to 12:00 12:00. a father i met had been bringing three kids here for several years. >> that is fantastic. the daytime from 3:00 to 6:00, a lot of kid oriented events. they have adult music and the festive environment. they will end with fireworks later. they are good fireworks. a lot to do. a great time. lindsey: the alexandria police department says because this is a yearly event they are used to how it goes on and they are confident about security. back to you. michelle: looking forward to it. perhaps the biggest new year's eve gathering nearby is in baltimore. q: kelly anderson at harbor. it will be quite a display to ring in the new year. right? reporter: how is it going? it will get really crowded here tomorrow night. you have to be willing to brave the elements, the crowds, the cold. it is all fun and free of charge. make sure that every year is a one of a kind experience. crews loaded the fireworks on the barge in curtis by a. there is a performance by a band super bueno. then later the sky will light up with the fireworks display. access to the harbor should be available for most entrances but there is increased security. public transportation is available until 1:00 in the morning. live in baltimore, kelly anderson, abc7 news. michelle: that was beautiful. now to this. no blizzard conditions here but look at how big the storm that has hit northern new england is. this is just a monster of a storm. this is the view from space just before it actually hit yesterday. q: shortly after thaévt picture, this video. the snow hit and fell fast. part of main wracking up two feet of snow. the power knocked out to a lot of people. if you are having flashbacks to the blizzard we had last year january, we can't blame you. we had a little today. steve: just a little bit. but it didn't cause any delays and then it's dry tomorrow night for the festivities. that is good news there. we'll show you the stormwatch7 satellite and the radar. colors in the lighter blues are the snowshower snowshower entering potomac. a few flakes here and there. snowshowers and then we look for the skies to clear. head to prince george's county. looking at snowshowers at this time. but once again not expecting any accumulations. the temperatures in the upper 30 to the lower 40's. the coldest air north and west of town. inside the capital beltway 28 to 30. the winds will start to ease. waking up tomorrow morning last day of 2016. middle 20's. at least we don't have to deal with the wind chill factor. the clouds are building it will stay dry. if you have travel plans to take you further west, the extreme western maryland and garrett county are the areas that are likely to see more snow. welcome in the new year. we'll look for skies to clear. we will see a better chance late sunday afternoon. more clouds lateer in the day. we have temperatures around 379 to 40 degrees. new year's day mix of the sun and clouds. the temperatures should make it to 50. above average. on this date. the redskins game will start late sunday afternoon. the temperatures in the 40's. quick look at the ten-day outlook. temperatures are tuesday. q: still ahead on abc7 news -- >> how do you not know your gun is loaded. q: murder charges months after a shooting. wait until you hear what started the fight. >> ♪ i'll think of you every step of the way ♪ the serenade that went viral. this this girl's mother shares why the song means so much to her family after this. michelle: you can't see this video enough. it has been viewed a million times online. a man outside the metro station singing strikes a connection with a little girl. >> ♪ i'll think think think of u every step of the way ♪ q: anna-lysa gayle talked to the little girl and her mother who told us is the serenade is what the world needs right now. anna-lysa: in this section of chinatown, one thing y always count on is music. >> ♪ waiting on the world to change ♪ >> my name is kenny sway. i was born and raised in maryland. i have been doing music since i was 5 years old. >> he goes by the stage name kenny sway and spends the day performing for anyone who is willing to watch. on wednesday afternoon he caught mary evelyns eye outside the gallery place metro station. the 11-year-old who suffers from down syndrome from raleigh, north carolina, visiting with her family. >> we were walking to go get a drink. we heard this music. i said is that a band? >> her sister annie o'neil standing by her side when this happened. >> she walked up to me. i pulled her in. anna-lysa: mary evelyn held on to his hand as he serenaded her. her sister streamed it through >> she and i created an experience, experience of freedom and love. anna-lysa: a moment mary evelyn is proud of and her mother is thankful he shared the love. >> a lot of attention. there has been racial tensions this year. we are people who believe in love for everyone. >> i love you! michelle: her smile is infectious. i'm so glad they caught the moment to share with the world. q: millions have seen it. great holiday spirit. nice story. michelle: beautiful. he has a great voice. q: he does. michelle: still ahead for us on "abc7 news at 4:00" -- the race for the white house, election of donald trump is one of the many wild political headlines to grip the d.c. area. we have the top stories of 2016 ahead. >> a handgun found in a pile of wood linked t i'm kevin lewis with that story still ahead. q: plus, snow during the lunch rush. on the way this holiday weekend? steve is back with the forecast after this. i think we can finally get a bigger place. bigger place? yeah, let me check my score too. try credit karma. it's free. credit karma. give yourself some credit. michelle: stormwatch7 winter weather alert. if you blinked, you might have missed this. fast-moving snow squall brush by the area creating a dusting that melted away. this is in harpers ferry. q: it was a similar snow globe effect in d.c. northwest. you can see the bigger flames that are coming down. but not creating any issues. that is good news. steve is back. good news is there is not much of that. steve: wisconsin avenue, it's pretty. michelle: this is healthy. steve: big snowflakes but the ground temperature is warm enough. we didn't get a ton of it all at once. conversational snowshowers will continue for a few hours. notice the area in blue. frederick county to northern montgomery county. snowshower activity over the next half hour to 45 minutes. the district to the center of the screen. to the west of us. we have a band that is going to exit the area to move south and east. not very fast. if you are watching us in chevy chase, d.c., maryland. upper northwest, dupont circle. logan. to the shaw area. snowshowers in chillum but it won't amount to a lot. temperatures as you walk your dog, if you have a diagnosis or just going for a walk. upper 40's early on to drop in the 30's through the late night hours. coming up we talk about welcoming in the new year and what to expect for the first few days of 2017. i like it. more on that coming up. michelle: a murder over mcdonald's food? that is awe puzzling motetive that say led this man to shoot and kill his roommate. montgomery county reporter kevin lewis claim why the accused murder claims it was an accident. when he returned home he asked why he didn't grab him food, too. an argument broke out. prompting him to allegedly grab his recently purchased handgun, aim and fire. >> it's angering. people can tak their own hands for mcdonald's? >> police respond the night of but didn't charge him until months later. upon finding the weapon in the backyard. >> how do you not know your gun is loaded >> if it is your gun you should know it's load. i don't buy that. >> today it's split in three apartments and it sits vacant with the for respect outfront. >> he is in jail. if found guilty the judge could sentence him to up to 30 years in prison. i'm kevin lewis. booth. >> "7 on your side" with a consumer alert. blue bell the ice cream company that made headlines for a deadly listeria outbreak wants the feds to back off. "houston chr working with the f.d.a. to show it is meeting the federal standards. the company wants to return to what it calls the industry norms. they were forced to shut down for months after recall effort. minimum wage will go up in 19 states on january 1. that means 4.4 million workers will get a raise. arizona has the biggest increase. the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour where it has been since 2009. q: the chilling of the united states-russia relationship over hacking the election and now booting out the diplomats has but there was a lot more. we have the year in review. >> more than a dozen men and women started in the race to succeed president obama. with the finish line in sight, president obama started out the year in a fast pace. starting with an issue to his dismay overshadowed his presidency. gun control. then the nuclear deal with iran. but he couldn't predict everything. >> antonin scalia was dominant justice on the bench. >> he died. in march the president nominated merrick garland to fill the vacancy. months from the presidential election the republican senate majority was determined to a 4-4 nonruling in june that blocked the executive orders on immigration. as the primary calendar wound down, so did the candidates. >> today was a day where we hit the 1237. >> we are all standing under a glass ceiling. >> friends don't let friends vote for trump. >> she is the candidate of the past. >> ahead of the first debate in december. >> she has experience but it's bad. bad experience. >> why won't he release the tax returns? >> october brought surprises. for trump, a vulgar hot mic moment revealed and accusations of sexual misconduct which he denied. for hillary clinton, the f.b.i. director announcement that the agency was giving e-mail on the pr she used while secretary of state another look. the real stunner came in november. >> the president-elect of the united states donald trump. >> an upset that left clinton shy of history. >> i know how disappointed you feel because i feel it, too. >> days after the election trump came to washington. the president-elect began assembling an administration with the g.o.p. majorities of the house and senate will shape hern and global policy in 2017 and beyond. q: there is still one day left. anything can happen. if you thought the mannequin challenge was over, it isn't. michelle: we will tell you what it looks like in a gravity-free environment. the space station. also ahead, they invade the bay area in record numbers. find out what is driving them out of the water q: most peel go to california in the winter and now you can add harbor seals to the list. michelle: a record number of the guys, 49 of them were sunning on this floating platform in alameda, california. christmas eve. the community seems to enjoy the visitors. >> they are fun. fun to hear them snorting. it's funny. q: more flabbergasted. >> christmas eve there were 49. michelle: nice to see. q: this is popular for pelican and the other sea birds. michelle: all kind of wildlife. the mannequin to end all challenges. q: the fad is not over. check it out from far above the early. frozen in space. european space agency astronaut from france tweeted out the video from the international space station. he posted it with the result it's sci-fi spooky. don't you think? michelle: that is tricky to do. q: we have new information about the death of george michael. the autopsy results that raise questions. that's next. >> restaurant in afamiliars morgan says without donald trump painted on the mural they are taking heat but they say it's not political. i'll have the story coming up. >> d.c. fire and e.m.s. responding to a hospital. anything with a screen is a tv. stream 130 live channels. plus 40,000 on demand tv shows and movies, all on the go. you can even download from your x1 dvr and watch it offline. only xfinity gives you more to stream to any screen. download the xfinity tv app today. q: a restaurant has a mural with every president going back to dwight eisenhower but it stops at president obama. the restaurant says it doesn't have the money to add donald trump. amy aubert is in adams morgan tonight and they are taking heat for not budgeting for the new addition [no audio] q: we'll see if we can get back to amy later. family and friends will say goodbye to debbie reynolds and carrie fisher on the same day, despite losing them a day apart. they are hoping to hold a dual service for both actresses. according to tmz mother and daughter may be laid to rest at hollywood forever cemetery. there is also a discussion of a larger public memorial service. michelle: new information about the death of singer george michael. an autopsy came back, "inconclusive." the wham front man and the 1980's popular died on christmas day in the u.k. now more tests will be needed to determine what killed him. that could take several weeks. george michael was 53 years old. q: hunter but his parents still say he is brave beyond the years. michelle: he has already had hundreds of surgeries. ryan hughes takes us to a special tribute to hunter from the d.c. fire department. >> hey! [applause] >> 8-year-old hunter scarborough getting a hero's welcome from d.c. fire and e.m.s. engine five parking outside the med star georgetown hospital and surprising hunter who one daydreams of becoming a firefighter. >> we put that on you right now. >> hunter and his mom are spending the holidays in the hospital. they are from louisiana and flew to washington, d.c., as hunter underwent a small and a large intestinal transplant. >> having an intestinal transplant is one of the biggest surgeries we do. >> he has been battling chronic pseudo-obstruction since birth. a rare drs. order to force him to have hundreds of surgeries. >> he has had doctors and nurses do a ton he has been brave throughout all of it. >> he has developed a strong bond with the local fire department back home. so the chief called up d.c. fire and e.m.s. thinking it would be good medicine if they could pay him a visit. >> it's good to meet guys not from his hometown but from washington, d.c. and let them know we all care about his well-being. >> hunter getting a chance to ask questions. >> how do you sleep in a fire? >> he is forming another special bond with the now local department. he will be in d.c. for a few more months but now he has an open invitation from d.c. fire and e.m.s. >> when you get better and we know you will, will you come visit one of our fire houses? >> yes? >> you will? we look forward to seeing you. in georgetown, ryan hughes, abc7 news. michelle: the former north charleston police officer who shot and killed a black man after a traffic stop will go back on trial in march. murder case against michael slager. he killed walter scott. the last video of the two shows scott being shot while moving away from the officer. that footage went viral. q: all right. hip top group run d.m.c. is taking major retailers to court. the group is suing amazon, wal-mart and other retailers for what they say is improper use of the group's name. the allegation is the stores profited and also harmed the run d.m.c. grand using the name in production in advertising and other products. michelle: we saw the little snow squall move through college park earlier. it has people curious if we might see more today. q: do we need to bundle up? steve: i would bundle up. i saw my friend who said it's snowing. i need to get my shovel out. maybe a teaspoon if it's conversationm and it looks pretty. it startles people. they see the snow. what am i going to do? the snowshowers moving across the area. we will head in closer. a different angle this time. we took 15 minutes ago. you are watching us in an non-dale, burke -- annandale, burke. the snowshowers are not accumulating on the roadways. it looks pretty. the further north up connecticut avenue and chevy chase snowshowers have come to an end. 30's to 40's. pax river at 42. it's 36 in leesburg. reagan national is now at 39 degrees. the overnight we are looking at the temperatures that will slowly fall to freezing. downtown d.c. is colder. northern and western suburbs. we will fall in the 20's. the feature cast that shows the added clouds. midday hours tomorrow. by tomorrow afternoon and the evening the clouds will continue to thicken. snowshowers and the heavier snow extreme western maryland. that is where it will stay. the temperatures are 40's to 30 degrees. the highs make it to upper 40's. we are looking for temperatures. 2017 will be around 50 degrees this is not as busy a we'd normally see on friday afternoon. this is erik erik: you said it. it is starting to improve in a few spots. we have different delays. the overall picture is lighter. you can see around the beltway. take a look at cameras. this is a clear stretch. 95 in virginia not ready to clear out. lorton to the fairfax county parkway. most delays in stafford county to the southbound stretch. this is a messy ride northbound especially. capital beltway is improving past georgetown pike for the inner loop. the outer loop delays remain. that is the worth of it. it's not as bad avenue. -- back to you. michelle: the gift card you don't want don't have to wait. the fou jonathan: ever get a gift card you are never going to use? john matarese, the consumer reporter shows how to trade them in for cash so you don't waste your money. john: if you are like gift card or two this past weekend. consumers receiver more than 100 million gift cards. if you are holding a few duds, we are here to help. >> forget the clothing and the books, most of us this holiday season ended up with a wallet full of gift cards. that is fine if you like the stores or the restaurants. not so much if you will never end up using them. kevin rodriguez ends up shopping stores every january he normally would never visit. >> it makes us go to the stores we got them to. >> rather than buying things you don't need or letting them expire, trade in the unwanted gift cards. several apps and websites will buy unwanted gift cards. sites with the best reviews include card pool, rays, card cash, and gift card granny. shopping blogger mcdaniel loves that app. you can trade in the unwanted card and buy cards that other sh >> i went to card pool and told them i had a gift card to babies "r" us for 50 but they offered me $40. it does beat leaving it unused forever. if you are in a charitable mood, you can donate unused gift cards. you can gift them to charity and many good will stores will take gift cards. help others so you don't waste your money. jonathan: tonight, two russian estates clearing out as president obama sanctions shut them down. >> they may look like simple but it is real-time information on how you may have to wait on the t.s.a. line. jonathan: a mural and why they aren't going to add trump's >> "7 on your side." jonathan: we are less than 48 hours before russia needs to close two come pounds in theth and 35 diplomats need to leave the country. trucks were seen leaving the facility on the maryland eastern shore. richard reeve has today's news and the new development of the sanctions. rich? richard: john, the clock is ticking away. an impressive site at the embassy. we saw line of trucks here on the wisconsin avenue trying to beat a friday deadline making sure they get out of those two russian come pounds. >> at the russian embassy on wisconsin avenue, a cavalcade of cars and trucks arriving here from a russian compound in centreville, maryland, on the eastern shore. >> i hope relations get better in the future. >> isabelle whose father immigrated from russia has been watching the news about the white house order to expel 35 russian operatives from u.s. they -- >> it is a strong slap on the wrist. >> the c.i.a. and the f.b.i. saying the investigation found hacking was in an effort to help trump win the white house. >> he is not retaliating by expelling the u.s. diplomats from moscow. >> i think we ought to get on with your lives. >> president elect trump not agreeing with the u.s. intelligence agencies about the assertion about the hacking. >> the computers complicated lives greatly.